Change Your Impact

As a parent, there are often countless concerns and tales of when you were growing up that you would want to share with your children. However, do our children absorb those experiences that we are sharing and when is it the right time to talk about those concerns?

Even in close-knit communities like Richland, that are built on strong family values, talking to youth can be difficult. Parents are busy and often it is easy to go days without more than a few minutes talking with your child. The urgency and seriousness of some conversations about issues such as underage drinking and the consequences of It are regularly not given the time those subjects need to fully understand.

When is the right time? Anytime! Likely, the very first alcohol encounter your child will witness is when they see you, the parent, drink. Remember, alcohol is in our culture and how your child manages their use of alcohol first begins with what they see you do and how you react to it. Very young children say the darndest things, right? Why, because children pick up on social cues early and learn to use them. If a child sees his or her parent or adult in their life regularly drinking, what do you think would be the normal action of that child over time? If that same child sees adults drinking, getting wasted, spilling drinks, passing out, or driving drunk and adult peers except these actions as nothing out of the norm, nothing dangerous, what is the likelihood of that child doing the same things at some point? Very high.

Kids as young as five years of age have already formed basic attitudes and opinions about alcohol.

Don’t let anybody else, especially you, be the reason for them to pick up the first drink. Talk to your youth about their life and instill the proper advice on alcohol consumption before they get more socially savvy.

Challenge yourself to Talk It Up & Lock It Up. Talk to youth about what this information means to you and take precautions by counting and locking up your alcohol. It is that simple to make positive impacts on Richland County youth! Send your comments to the Editor to further this conversation.